Marion K. Slack, PhD, Pharmacy Practice and Science, College of Pharmacy, University of Arizona, P.O. Box 210207, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0207, 520/626-1099, slack@pharmacy.arizona.edu and Frances Brazzell, OT, MA, College of Pharmacy, University of Arizona, PO Box 210207, Tucson, AZ 85721-0207.

Mexican Americans, along with other minority populations, experience significant healthcare disparities. For care providers, strategies proposed for eliminating these disparities include developing cultural competency through immersion and community work with cultural brokers from the Mexican American community. The subject of this poster presentation is an examination of specific determinant outcomes of a rural health program, Nuestra Comunidad, Nuestra Salud Interdisciplinary Project, located in an Arizona border community. One of the purposes of this program is to train students in a collaborative interdisciplinary model for creating culturally relevant community based interventions. Prior to this research there has not been a specific assessment of the effect of the interdisciplinary model on students’ ability to create culturally relevant community based interventions or to assess changes in the cultural competency of program participants. This research project consists of an assessment of evaluation data of all past University of Arizona health science students participating in this project and a more in depth analysis of focus groups conducted with students and community lay health workers in the program for the fall semester of 2003. Findings support the need for culturally competent healthcare with the Mexican origin population by identifying specific cultural barriers and cultural factors that do influence health care outcomes. Additionally the research identifies which specific learning tasks facilitate cultural competency skill development among healthcare students and is relevant for healthcare workers with all divergent populations.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• Recognize the importance of cultural competency for the provision of healthcare among diverse populations.
• Identify effective training activities for developing cultural competency skills among healthcare students.
• Describe specific cultural behaviors identified in Nogales, Arizona that effect healthcare outcomes.
• Recognize cultural competence learning objectives that are applicable with other diverse populations.

Keywords: Cultural Competency, Latino Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Research supported by PHS grant No. 2D36HP10033